


When Fairytales Lie

by TheFoolsKnight



Series: Lbotw Countdown Event [3]
Category: The Eldest Curses Series - Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood has Nightmares, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asmodeus Being an Asshole (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Gen, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26086942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFoolsKnight/pseuds/TheFoolsKnight
Summary: Alec has recurring nightmares, all going back to one of the worst moments in his life - the Crimson Hand’s headquarters in Rome, where he’s faced with a hundred Magnus Banes and has to find the real one.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Lbotw Countdown Event [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890874
Comments: 8
Kudos: 91





	When Fairytales Lie

The scene before Alec was as familiar to him as his own hand.

He was in Rome again, and the Pentagram of moonflowers was in front of him. Inside, there were a hundred Magnuses, fighting against a hundred Shinyun Jungs. He watched them, trying to figure out which one was the real Magnus, his hands tight around his bow.

_ If only the world were a fairytale, Shadowhunter. _

His eyes flickered frantically about, trying to find the real Magnus,  _ his  _ Magnus. There were several at par with Shinyun, and then some who were winning, some who were losing. Alec’s heart was beating fast and hard in his chest. No matter how much he observed them, he couldn’t tell who the real Magnus was.

“Time is ticking, Shadowhunter,” said the demon -  _ Asmodeus _ \- from somewhere behind him. "Hurry up."

"He can't," leered a cocky voice from nearby. "He was trying to be the hero, but he doesn't know who to shoot. He doesn't even know who the enemy is!"

A wave of raucous laughter sounded, mocking him, and Alec's hands tightened on its bow. He searched the faces of all the Magnuses in the pentagram, trying to determine who the real one was, hoping to fine even the smallest of clues. But there were none. They all looked the same.

His heart was in his throat now. He felt rigid and cold all over, as if his limbs were frozen. The cultists' laughter felt like small knives stabbing into his heart over and over again.

Then, all at once, all noise was gone. Time seemed to slow down, and Alec watched in horror as- As…

There was one pair that caught his eye first, with Magnus on his back on the ground, Shinyun on top of him. As Alec watched, she brought down the blade, thrusting it into Magnus's heart.

Alec screamed.

He ran to the pentagram, everything else forgotten. Screaming Magnus's name over and over again, he hit the wall surrounding the pentagram with his bare hands; he needed to get to Magnus, and he needed to get there  _ now  _ before it was too late

But the wall never budged. Instead, Alec was forced to watch as one by one, every single one of the Magnuses fell. Magnus getting overpowered by Shinyun and collapsing with a sword in his chest. Magnus winning over Shinyun, only to have her slash her sword upwards and drive it under Magnus's ribs. Magnus, falling by dozens, his blood spilling out all over the stage and staining the white flowers that made the pentagram.

And all through it, all Alec could do was scream and scream, begging for Shinyun not to kill him, pleading to Magnus's deaf ears to  _ please, wake up,  _ and bang his fists against the wall of magic that never budged.

All of it lasted only a few moments. Alec's voice caught in his throat and stayed there when he realised that  _ all  _ of them were gone. All of them were dead.

He lowered his hands, now bleeding and bruised, and the wall faded. The bodies vanished within the blink of an eye, and there was only one left. The one, Alec realised with a sinking feeling, which was the first to die.

He stepped into the pentagram, walking slowly towards Magnus's lifeless body. There was darkness all around, nothing left except for the pentagram and Alec and Magnus, lying on the ground with blood staining his white robes, his once vibrant eyes now devoid of light, staring up into nothingness.

Alec dropped to his knees and reached out a trembling hand, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Magnus’s face. His skin was cold to the touch, and he was unnaturally still.

Alec exhaled a shaky breath, his fingers moving over Magnus's eyelids, slipping them close. He would never open them again. He would never smile at Alec again, never speak to him of times long gone by, never hold him in his arms or kiss him like he had so many times before again. Alec's breathing turned ragged, and he barely registered the stream of hot tears running down his face.

"Magnus," he whispered, gathering him up in his arms and holding him close. He smelled like smoke and sandalwood and  _ blood,  _ the scent of it so strong it nearly overcame everything else.

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered, screwing his eyes shut, his fingers tightening in Magnus's hair. "I'm so sorry."

_ I'm sorry I failed to protect you. _

_ I'm sorry I wasn't enough. _

_ I'm so, so sorry. _

" _ Da-da _ ?"

Alec's head shot up at the voice, and he turned around until he saw Max, his little baby Max, held in the arms of the demon who caused all this misery. Alec's breath was knocked out of him at the sight and he scrambled to his feet, almost slipping in Magnus's blood as he stood up.

"No!" he screamed at Asmodeus, rushing to save Max. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else now.  _ He couldn't.  _ "Leave him alone!"

Asmodeus smiled, and the smile chilled Alec to the bone. "Give us some time alone, won't you? I've only just met my grandson."

The smile widened, and Alec watched in horror as his fingers slowly inched towards Max's throat. Max himself was staring at Alec with wide eyes, as if expecting Alec to come and take him in his arms, as if everything would be fine in the end.

Alec surged forward, ready to grab him before Asmodeus did him any harm, but froze when he felt a pair of strong arms close around his waist.

“Alec,” came Magnus’s voice, and his heart nearly stopped. “Alec,  _ focus,  _ this isn’t real.”

“ _ Max _ ,” Alec choked out, watching as his baby started crying, squirming in Asmodeus’s grip. “We need to save Max! Our baby-“

“This was our first vacation, Alec!” Magnus yelled into his ear, his grip stronger than ever. “Why would Max be here?!”

Alec froze.

_ This is our first vacation. Max shouldn’t be here. He wasn’t even born back then,  _ he thought, followed by  _ Wait, wasn’t Magnus dead?  _

_ No, why would he be dead? I saved him. I recognised him and saved him. But… no, what is happening? _

Alec reached up in wonder, placing his hands over Magnus’s. He was here. He was alive and  _ here. _

_ Weren’t Helen and Aline supposed to be here? I don’t see them anywhere. Everything is wrong. This isn’t what happened. _

Then came the inevitable realisation.  _ It’s a dream. _

The thought was like a stone hurled into a still pond, shattering its perfect mirror-like illusion. Everything faded away - Asmodeus, Max, the pentagram, until only the feel of Magnus’s arms around him remained.

Alec shot up in bed, gasping as he broke free of the dream. He could still see images behind his eyelids, of the pentagram and blood and Asmodeus, but as he blinked his eyes open they mingled with the sight of Magnus and Alec’s bedroom - the vanity table in the corner, the closet on the other side, the red wallpaper in front of Alec - until they faded entirely.

Alec gulped in large mouthfuls of air, still shaken from what he saw. A part of him felt numb, and he felt washed down, like the weathered rock that stool tall after being battered by endless waves from all sides.

He turned, and his shoulders slumped when he saw Magnus fast asleep beside him. Alec closed his eyes for a moment, basking in obvious relief, then stood up and crept out of the bedroom, fetching himself a glass of cold water.

The living room was filled with diffused sunlight from the large glass doors of the balcony. The sky outside was a pale blue. It was probably very early in the morning. Alec gulped down the water in one go, and then went to Max’s nursery to check on him.

Max was sleeping peacefully in his cradle, his legs and arms spread out in various positions, the blanket that Alec had covered him in now kicked to the side. Alec sighed and picked it up again, tucking Max in properly, and then sat on the floor by the cradle.

It wasn’t the first time Alec had this dream. He’d had it several times over the years, and every time he woke up with a terrible feeling that he had failed to do the one thing he wanted, which was to protect, and his loved one’s lives weighing heavily on his heart. Alec knew the dream by heart now, and yet when he tried to recall the specific details they slipped from his mind like water.

“Alexander?”

Alec flinched when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and looked up to see Magnus staring down at him with obvious concern. Magnus sat down beside him, his hand coming up to rest in Alec’s hair, and Alec leaned into him.

“What happened?”

Alec shook his head. “Nothing. Just a nightmare.”

Magnus was silent a moment, then said in a low voice, “The pentagram?”

Alec nodded. Magnus knew. Magnus had always known.

Without another word, Magnus pulled him in close, and Alec folded into him, his arms going around Magnus. This was all he needed - the knot of apprehension and fear in his chest dissipated, and Alec let out a quiet breath into Magnus’s shoulder.

They stayed together for a long time, holding on to each other, basking in the comfortable silence until dawn passed and the morning finally arrived.


End file.
